CAIRO — First it is Fitzgerald. Next week it’s Brooks County. Then it’s Thomasville. Three non-region opponents await the Cairo Syrupmakers over the first three weeks of the season. All play with a physicality that has Cairo coach Steven DeVoursney concerned, especially since his team has been limited in practice this offseason amid COVID-19.

“We play a lot of physical teams. That’s kind of the big scare for me. I know every team we play, it’s going to be a physical football game,” he said. “Like I said, we haven’t been in pads so I’ve never played a game without being in pads before. So it’s going to be interesting to see how we do and how we respond.”

The unpredictable summer that started on June 8 when the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) allowed teams to begin workouts under strict guidelines, transitions into the regular season Friday night for the Syrupmakers who are set to host Fitzgerald at West Thomas Stadium. It’s been a difficult past few weeks for the Syrupmakers who were sidelined for an extended period because of positive cases within the program.

“We’re behind, ain’t no question. We haven’t been in pads in over three weeks,” DeVoursney said. “We’re behind. Our goal every year is to get better every game. That’s still our goal, try to get better every game. We’re going to do the best we can with the hand that’s been dealt to us.”

Cairo hosts a Fitzgerald team that finished 8-5 and 2-2 in Region 1-AA last year. The Syrupmakers finished 8-3 last year and second in Region 1-AAAA.

Another concern for the Syrupmakers is the lack of inexperience returning this year. Cairo returns just two starters on offense and four starters on defense. That lack of experience is magnified since teams weren’t able to hold spring practice or participate in preseason scrimmages because of coronavirus concerns, mandated by the GHSA.